OOIDA Call to Action - Missouri Members
January 23, 2006

Heads up, Missouri truckers! A bill in the Missouri Senate needs your urgent attention.

The Senate Transportation Committee is scheduled to hear testimony at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, on a bill that would ban large trucks from driving in the far left lane on most urban highways and interstates in the state.

It is vital you contact the committee members - if possible, prior to the 1 p.m. start time - and let them know what lane restrictions would mean to road safety.

Sponsored by Sen. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington, the bill would keep trucks to the right lanes of highways and interstates with three or more lanes in each direction.

Trucks would be permitted to merge left in certain situations, including an emergency attempt to avert a collision with another vehicle or a vehicle entering the roadway.

Under the bill - SB758 - violators could be subject to fines ranging from $200 to $300.

A lane ban similar to Engler's effort was part of a larger transportation-related bill that was considered during the 2005 legislative session. The bill, however, failed to gain passage largely due to a primary seat-belt provision that was included.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association opposes lane restrictions for any class of vehicle.

"Adopting lane restrictions would be an ill-advised step to take," said OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer, who will testify Tuesday before the Senate committee. "Such restrictions invariably cause more problems than they fix.

"Trucks and other vehicles need to be able to move over a lane when necessary. It's common courtesy, but this is also about highway safety.

"When you start restricting vehicles to certain lanes you end up with more vehicles tailgating, and making unsafe passing maneuvers in all lanes. This isn't good for congestion or highway safety.

"Lane restrictions simply discourage smart, safe driving practices."

To contact the Senate Transportation Committee members, visit www.senate.mo.gov/06info/comm/TRAN.htm, or call OOIDA's Membership Department at 1-800-444-5791 and they'll look it up.